1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus that automatically opens and closes a rotating gate assembly.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Gates are popular access control devices that help restrict vehicular and pedestrian traffic to a wide array of locations where control of such traffic is desired. Apartment complexes, houses, ranches, and various work sites are typical locations where gates are oftentimes found. Access control gates come in one of two broad categories.
Some gates are manual in that the gate must be opened and closed manually by an operator. A user opens the gate in order to allow a vehicle or a person to pass through the gate and thereafter closes the gate in order to again restrict access therethrough. Such gates are typically found in relatively remote locations, such as a side entrance to a ranch, wherein the frequency of ingress and egress through the gate is relatively sparse and in areas where an attendant is on duty to help control access through the gate. A military site and a delivery parking lot are examples of gate locations of the latter type.
The other major type of gates are automatic in that the gate, through an appropriate action of a user, automatically opens and closes. A user may use a remote control device, may punch in a code linked to a key pad, or swipe an access card, in order to activate the automatic opening or closing of the gate. Additionally, the gate may be activated by an operator on duty or by a person located at a site remote of the gate who has some form of audio or visual access to the gate area. Such persons operate the gate as they see fit depending on the nature of the person or vehicle desiring passage through the gate area.
Most automatic opening and closing gates fall into one of three types. Some automatic gates are sliding gates wherein the gate opens and closes by sliding or rolling back and forth through the gate access area. A motor controls the operation of the gate and is linked to the gate through some form of chain or gear drive, wherein upon activation of the motor the drive becomes operational and controls back and forth movement of the gate, or the motor is connected directly to the gate and has some form of drive wheels that allow the back and forth movement of the gate. Activation of the motor drives the wheels which move the gate in the appropriate direction. Such gates require a “pocket” to be available into which pocket the gate slides when it is opened. If appropriate space for such a pocket is unavailable, this type of gate is not a good candidate for access control.
A second type of gate is one that is raised and lowered in order to control access. Most of these types of gates are some form of swing arm that is raised to allow passage through the gate area and is lowered to restrict access. These types of gates, which tend to be relatively inexpensive, are often found at parking lots, roadway toll booths and railroad track crossings.
A third type of gate is a swinging gate that pivots between an open and a closed position. Typically, the pivoting of the gate is actuated by either a hydraulic or pneumatic piston or a solenoid rod wherein extension of the piston or solenoid rod places the gate into a closed position and retraction of the piston or solenoid rod swings the gate into an open position. These types of gates are often found at condominium parking lots and at exclusive houses and neighborhoods and are very popular. The problem with this type of gate lies in the actuation mechanism. The piston or solenoid that controls gate swing is located remote of the gate and is mechanically linked to the gate. Not only is this architecture less than aesthetically appealing, it requires additional real estate beyond that required for the gate to be set aside for the actuation device and its connecting hardware. Additionally, the piston or solenoid rod is exposed to the elements which tends to make the device more prone to failure and therefore such devices require relatively frequent maintenance in order to keep such devices properly operational. Furthermore, as the piston or solenoid rod is in an extended position whenever the gate is closed, the piston or rod can be bumped, nicked or otherwise jarred when in this position rendering the piston or rod unable to properly retract thereby preventing the gate from being opened and requiring a service call to repair the gate. Such rod or piston damage can be the result of passersby, falling objects such as a tree limb, or by wind loading. In any event, the users are inconvenienced by the lack of operability of the gate and the attendant repair costs.
In order to address these problems, swinging gates have been proposed wherein the gate swing is accomplished by the use of a motor that is housed within the main post of the gate. The motor, by being housed within the main post, is not exposed to the elements and is not subject to damage from outside influences such as falling objects and wind loading. As a result, the motor is less prone to fail from such influences. As the motor is located within the main post of the swinging gate, the need to provide additional real estate for the accuation and connection hardware is eliminated. However, the problem with such prior art devices is that they are unduly complex in design and construction making such devices relatively expensive to manufacture and maintain.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an automatic swinging gate that addresses the above-stated problems found in the art. Specifically, a gate opening and closing apparatus is needed wherein the gate actuation hardware is disposed within the main gate post in order to eliminate the unsightliness of the actuation mechanism and to eliminate the negative effects that can be occasioned from outside influences such as rain, wind, falling objects, and passersby. Such a gate opening and closing apparatus must be of relatively simple design and construction so that it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, install and maintain.